San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1887-09-29
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CENTENNIAL
AT PHILADELPHIA.
President Clevelaud's Speech.

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AT PHILADELPHIA.
President Cleveland's Speech.
At tho conclusion Of Mr.. Kasson's
address, tho choir sung appeal TO
Truth" (by Schiller Mendelsson) with
beautiful effoct. At the conclusion
of the song, ex-Minister Kasson es-
corted the president TO the speakers
rostrum, and at 11;55 he commenced
q ten-minute address which was re-
ceived with thundorous applause.
His enunciation was clesr and per-
feet, and his voice rang out audibly
to the thousands Of ears.
THE PRESIDENTS SPEECH.
Ideem IL worry great honor and
pleasure to participate in these i'm
pressive exercises. Every American
citizen should on this centennial day
rejoice in his citizenship. He will
not find the cause Of his rejoicing in
the antiquity of his country, for
among tho nations Of the earth his
stands with the youngest. He will
not find it in the glitter and thepomp
that bedeck monarch and dazzle
abject and servile subjects, for in this
country the people themselves are
rulers. He will not find it in the
story of bloody foreign conquests---
for his government has been content
to care for its own domain and peo-
pie. He should rejoice because the
work of framing our Constitution
was completed one hundred years
ago to. day, and also because when
completed it established a free gov
ernment. He should rejoice because
this Constitution and government
have survived so long, and also be-
cause they have survived with 80
many blessings and have demonstra-
ted so fully the strength and value Of
popular rule. He should rejoice in
the wondrous growth and achieve.
ments of the past 100 years, and also
in the glorious promise of the Con-
stitution throughout centuries to
come.
We shall fail to be duly thankful
for oil that was done for lis one hun
dred years ago unless we realize the
difficulties OF the work then in hand
and the dangers avoided in the task
of forming q "more perfect union
between disjointed states with inter-
ests and opinions radically diverse
and stubbornly maintained.
"The perplexities Of the convention
which undertook the labor Of pre-.
pairing our Constitution are apparent
in these earnest words Of one Of the
most illustrious of it's members: "The
small progress we hive made after
four or FIVE weeks Of close attendance
and continued reasoning with each
other, our different sentiments on al
most every question--several Of the
last producing as many noes and
yeas-is, methinks, a melancholy
proof of the imperfection Of the hui
man understanding. We, indeed,
seem to our own want OF political
wisdom, since we have been running
about in search of it. We have gone
back to ancient history for models ol
government, and examined the differ.
ent forms of those republics which
having been formed with the seeds ol
their own dissolution, now no longer
exist"
In this situation Of this assembly
cropping as it were in the dark to find
political truth, and scarce able to dis.
tinguish it when presented to us
how has it happened, sir, that We
have not heretofore once thought oi
humbly applying to the Father oI
Light to illuminate our understand
ings, and this wise man, proposing
to his fellows that the aid and bless
ing of God should be evoked in the
: extremity, declared II have lived
sir, q long time, and the longer live
the more convincing proofs 1 see o
: the truth that God governs in tht
affairs of men. And if a sparrow
cannot fall to the ground withou
His notice, it is probable that an em
pire cannot rise without His aid. We
have been assured, sir, in the sacred
writings that except the Lord built
the house, they labor in vain who
build. I firmly believe this, sir, ant
l also believe that without His con-
curing aid we shall succeed in this
political building no better than thu
builders OF Babel. We shall bo di
yided by our little partial local inter
ests, our projects viii be confounded
and we ourselves shall become q re
proach and by-word down to future
ages; and, what is worse, mankind
may hereafter, from this instance
despair Of establishing government
, by human wisdom and leave it Il
chance, war and conquest"
In the face Of all discouragements
the fathers Of the republic AboreC
on for four long, weary months II
alternate hope and fear, but Away
with rugged resolve, never fAlterinl
10 q sturdy endeavor sanctifed by
prophetic sense OF the value to pos
terIty Of their success and always nm
flinching faith in the principles whicl
! make the Foundation Of . govern
ment by people.
At last their task was done II il
related that upon the back Of th'
chair occ1pisd by Washington as tn
. president Of The conventi1n, a SUI
. - r,.sDfed and that A. The dee